The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Research Associate

Roger is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School, specializing in Religion, Ethics and Politics. Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, he received his BA from the University of Waterloo in Religious Studies. His interests include issues of multiculturalism and religious pluralism, particularly with respect to Muslim communities in North America. At the Pluralism Project, he is focusing on case studies of Boston's Islamic community.

Research Associate

Tiffany is a Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School. Originally from California, she graduated from Chapman University in 2007 with a BA in Peace Studies, emphasizing in Latin American Studies. During the past year, she has lived in Costa Rica, Spain, and Los Angeles, working in the labor movement and in environmental and peace activism. She is pursuing ordination in the Disciples of Christ denomination, and is particularly interested in interfaith dialogue, community organizing, peace-building, and initiatives for social change. Tiffany will be assisting with the Boston Workshop project this year, and will provide support for the premiere and distribution of Fremont, USA.

Research Associate

Kate received her BA from Connecticut College in 2008 with a double major in Religious Studies and English. She is currently a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School, focusing on Religion, Ethics and Politics. Kate's interests lie in the intersection of religion and culture, particularly as related to issues of religious accommodation, religion and the media, and sacred space. At the Pluralism Project, Kate will be responsible for staff email, editing Religious Diversity News, and providing support for our women's networks initiative.

Research Associate

Sarah is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School focusing on religious studies and education. She graduated from Transylvania University, a small liberal arts college in Lexington, Kentucky, with a degree in Elementary Education and Religion. Sarah is interested in religion as a category of cultural relevance in students' lives as well as Hindu and Christian religious practices in the United States. She served as an intern at the Project during the summer of 2007, expanding the Hinduism and Christianity sections of the World Religions in Boston resource. She is excited to return to the Pluralism Project to continue that work and to assist with the Boston Workshop.

Research Associate

Thomas is a recent graduate from Harvard Divinity School (hence the levitating mortarboard), where he earned a Masters of Theological Studies degree with a focus on Religion, Politics and Ethics. Prior to coming to Harvard, Thomas gained an MA in philosophy from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a BA from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, where he double-majored in religious studies and philosophy. His academic interests lie broadly in rights theory, wherein he champions a modified capabilities approach as a vindication of religious pluralism, other human rights and the rights of animals. He is particularly curious about the nitty-gritty of how we ought justly to mediate between competing interests of various stakeholders and right-bearers. With the Pluralism Project, Thomas will be focusing on the case study initiative.

Research Associate

Katie is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School with a focus in Islamic Studies. Katie received her BA from Vassar College, with a major in Religion and a minor in Arabic, and during her undergraduate career studied in Fez, Morocco and Cairo, Egypt. Katie's academic interests include Muslim identity construction in America and questions of orthodoxy and authority within Islam. At the Pluralism Project, she will conduct research on Islam in America, and provide administrative support.

Research Associate

Babak is a Master of Public Policy student at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He received his BA from Johns Hopkins University with a double major in International Relations and Economics. At Johns Hopkins, Babak chaired Coming Together 2: A National Gathering of College and University Multi-Faith Councils and was president of the Johns Hopkins Bahá'í Club. Prior to Harvard, Babak was a Teach for America Corps Member in the Mississippi Delta where he taught 5^th grade. At the Pluralism Project, he is focusing on student-led interfaith initiatives in the US and will assist with the World Religions in Boston project.

Research Associate

Iram is a Master of Theological Studies student at Harvard Divinity School with a focus in Islamic Studies. Born in India, Iram grew up in New York City. She received her BA in Religion and Classics, and a BS in Evolutionary Biology and Ecology from the University of Rochester. Iram is interested in classical Sufi thought, artistic expressions of Muslim piety, and the way in which various Muslim groups negotiate issues of identity. With the Pluralism project, Iram is working on a case study that explores a controversy at a New York mosque.

Senior Research Associate

Kimberly received her Master of Theological Studies degree from Harvard Divinity School in 2009 and her BA in religious studies and political science from Connecticut College in 2007. She is currently working toward her JD at Boston College Law School. Kimberly is interested in the intersection of religion, law, and politics, with a particular focus on the civil rights of religious minority groups. As a senior research associate at the Project, she works primarily on Religious Diversity News.

Research Associate

Derek is a Master of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, with a focus on Buddhism. He received a BA in Political Science from Washington State University. Before coming to the Pluralism Project, he served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ratchaburi, Thailand working in the education sector. Derek's interests in Buddhism are primarily with the practice of meditation, Buddhist social movements, and the role of ritual in the Theravada tradition. At the Pluralism Project he will be working on Religious Diversity News and developing international portraits of pluralism.

Interfaith Curriculum Consultant

Rodney received his Masters of Theological Studies degree from HDS in 2007 where he concentrated on issues related to Islam and the West. During that time, his work at the Pluralism Project was on international multi-religious contexts. Currently, Rodney is the Coordinator of Social Justice Education programming at Beaver Country Day School, a private high school in Chestnut Hill, Boston. He also is serving as the Interfaith Curriculum Consultant to the Pluralism Project, developing and teaching a class on World Religions using the Project's resources and networks. As part of this work, he will reach out to high school students to develop an awareness of and involvement with interfaith work.

Research Associate

Sabrina received her BA in social anthropology from Harvard College in 2009. Her interests lie in interfaith dialogue and education as well as the integration of religions and cultures into US society. At the Pluralism Project, Sabrina will be responsible for updating the website and assisting with the redesign of the World Religions in Boston site interface.